Carrier for maintaining food products in a heated or chilled condition

ABSTRACT

A food carrier with two pouches intended to keep food items hot or cold. The food carrier keeps heat from the thermal packs carried in one pouch, and subsequently keeps the food carried in the second pouch hot for at least 20 minutes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to food service items and, moreparticularly to items for temporarily retaining a food item andmaintaining it in a warmed or chilled condition.

Cold bread products (toast, bagels, muffins) are a common issue for boththe food service industry and domestic households. What if there was away to keep baked goods hot and steaming from the oven/toaster to thetable or guest room?

Having been in the food service industry for many years, I know that thefirst thing a server does is make the toast. And it's one of the firstthings to get cold. Or, if someone is making toast at home, it sits onthe table throughout the breakfast.

As can be seen, there is a need for an improved food serving pouch thatretains heat from the thermal sacks in the pouch, and subsequently keepsthe food hot for at least 20 minutes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention a food carrier includes a pair ofpouches joined along a common edge. The pair of pouches have an openingat an end thereof and are dimensioned to receive a food item. Acooperating fastener is aligned along an edge of the opening that isoperable to selectively retain the opening in a closed condition. Thecooperating fastener may be a hook and pile fastener or a slidefastener. In some embodiments, the food carrier also includes a thermalpack retained within a first pouch. The thermal pack may be a heatingpad, which may be one of a microwaveable pad, an exothermic reactingpad, or a powered heating pad operable by an electric source.Alternatively, the thermal pack is a cooling pad, and may be one of acold pack, a chemically reactive chill pack, or a cooling deviceoperable by an electric source. The pouches may be formed of a laminatematerial, which may include an outer fabric layer and an insulatinglayer formed along an interior surface of the outer layer. The laminatematerial may also include an inner fabric layer, wherein the insulatinglayer is positioned between the outer and the inner fabric layers.

In other aspects of the invention, a food carrier includes a first pouchand a second pouch formed of a laminate material and joined along acommon edge and having an opening to an interior cavity dimensioned toreceive one of a food item or a thermal pack. The opening may include acooperating fastener operable to selectively retained the opening in aclosed condition. The cooperating fastener may be a hook and pilefastener, or alternatively, a slide fastener. The food carrier may alsoinclude a thermal pack retained within one of the first pouch or thesecond pouch. The thermal pack may be one of a heating pad or a coolingpack. The laminate material may include an outer fabric layer and aninsulating layer and may further have an inner layer lining an interiorof the interior cavity.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdrawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the invention in use.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention in use.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the invention in use.

FIG. 4 is a typical cross-sectional view.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an improvedfood service carrier pouch that keeps baked goods hot for at least 20minutes by placing a microwavable thermal carrier into a first pouch,and the baked goods in a second pouch. The baked goods retain theircrispiness and flavor instead of becoming soggy and cold. Alternatively,a cold pack may be substituted for the heat pack to keep chilled foodproducts cold.

As seen in reference to the drawings of FIGS. 1 through 6, a thermalfood carrier 10 of the present invention is illustrated. The foodcarrier 10 includes a pair of closeable pouches 12 joined along a commonedge. The pouches 12 include a laminate covering layer 13 and ininterior cavity defined within the pouch. Each pouch 12 also includes anopening at an end of the pouch 12 that may be retained in a closedcondition with a cooperating fastener, such as a hook 14 a and pile 14 bfastener, or a slide fastener, extending in strips along an edge of theopening. The cooperating fastener may be released to selectively openthe pouch opening.

In the embodiment shown in reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a food item 18may be inserted into the pouch 12, wherein the pouch is dimensioned toreceive a food item 18 that may be carried on a food service item 16,such as a plate, a dish, or a bowl. A thermal pad 20 may be receivedwithin the second pouch 12 to maintain the food item at the desiredtemperature. The thermal pad 20 may include a heating pad, such as amicrowaveable pad, an exothermic reacting pad, or a powered heating padoperable by an electric source, such as a battery. The thermal pad 20may also include a cold pack, such as a frozen pack, or a chemicallyreactive chill pack, or a cooling device operable by an electric source,such as a battery.

As shown in reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, once the food item 18, anyassociated carrier 16, and the thermal pad 20 are inserted in theirrespective pouches 12 and sealed with the cooperating fastener 14 a, 14b, the pouches 12 may be folded so that the thermal pouch 12 ispositioned in abutment with the food item pouch 12. Where the thermalpad 20 is a heating pad, the thermal pouch 12 should be positionedsubjacent to the food item pouch 12, such that the heat rising from thethermal pad 20 rises to keep the contents of the food pouch 12 in awarmed condition. Conversely, where the thermal pad 20 is a cooling pad,the food pouch 12 would be positioned subjacent to the thermal pouch 12,such that the chilled air will naturally descend to keep the contents ofthe food pouch 12 in a chilled condition.

As seen in reference to FIG. 6, the pouches laminate 13 may be formed ofa plurality of material layers. The plurality of layers may include anouter fabric layer 22 and an insulating layer 26 positioned along aninterior surface of the outer fabric layer 22. The plurality of layersmay also include an inner fabric layer 24 interposed between theinsulating layer 26 and the interior cavity of the pouch 12. The innerfabric layer 24 is preferably selected from a material that permits afavorable thermal transfer between the food carrying pouch 12 and thethermal pouch. The pouches may be formed by sewing the fabric andinsulating layers.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A food carrier, comprising: a pair of pouchesjoined along a common edge, the pair of pouches having an opening at anend thereof and are dimensioned to receive a food item; a cooperatingfastener aligned along an edge of the opening that is operable toselectively retained the opening in a closed condition.
 2. The foodcarrier of claim 1, wherein the cooperating fastener is a hook and pilefastener.
 3. The food carrier of claim 1, wherein the cooperatingfastener is a slide fastener.
 4. The food carrier of claim 1, furthercomprising: a thermal pack retained within a first pouch.
 5. The foodcarrier of claim 4, wherein the thermal pack is a heating pad.
 6. Thefood carrier of claim 5, wherein the heating pad is one of amicrowaveable pad, an exothermic reacting pad, or a powered heating padoperable by an electric source.
 7. The food carrier of claim 4, whereinthe thermal pack is a cooling pad.
 8. The food carrier of claim 7,wherein the cooling pad is one of as a cold pack, a chemically reactivechill pack, or a cooling device operable by an electric source.
 9. Thefood carrier of claim 4, wherein the pouches are formed of a laminatematerial.
 10. The food carrier of claim 9, wherein the laminate materialis formed of an outer fabric layer and an insulating layer formed alongan interior surface of the outer layer.
 11. The food carrier of claim10, wherein the laminated material further comprises and inner fabriclayer, wherein the insulating layer is positioned between the outer andthe inner fabric layers.
 12. A food carrier, comprising: a first pouchand a second pouch formed of a laminate material and joined along acommon edge and having an opening to an interior cavity dimensioned toreceive one of a food item or a thermal pack; a cooperating fasteneroperable to selectively retained the opening in a closed condition. 13.The food carrier of claim 12, wherein the cooperating fastener is a hookand pile fastener.
 14. The food carrier of claim 12, wherein thecooperating fastener is a slide fastener.
 15. The food carrier of claim12, further comprising: a thermal pack retained within one of the firstpouch or the second pouch.
 16. The food carrier of claim 5, wherein thethermal pack is a heating pad.
 17. The food carrier of claim 15, whereinthe thermal pack is a cooling pack.
 18. The food carrier of claim 13,wherein the laminate material comprises an outer fabric layer and aninsulating layer.
 19. The food carrier of claim 18, wherein the laminatematerial further comprises an inner layer lining an interior of theinterior cavity.